ALONE Orphaned on the Ocean ALONE Orphaned on the Ocean Richard Logan PhD Tere Duperrault Fassbender TitleTown Publishing Green Bay, Wisconsin ALONE Orphaned on the Ocean Copyright 2010 Richard Logan and Tere Duperrault Fassbender. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, except for passages excerpted for the purposes of review, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, or to order additional copies, please contact: TitleTown Publishing, LLC P.O. Box 12093 Green Bay, WI 54307-12093 920.737.8051 | titletownpublishing.com Cover design by Mike Stromberg Interior layout and design by Erika L. Block Edited by Julie Rogers PUBLISHER’S CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA: Logan, Richard D., 1942– Alone : Orphaned on the Ocean / Richard Logan, Tere Duperrault Fassbender Green Bay, Wisc. : TitleTown Pub., c2010. p. ; cm. ISBN: 978-0-9820009-7-7 Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc. – Personal narratives. 2. Victims of violent crimes – United States – Psychology. 3. Survival skills. I. Fassbender, Tere Duperrault. II. Title. G530 .L64 2010 2010926099 910.4/52--dc22 1005 Printed in the USA by Thomson-Shore first edition printed on recycled paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Never Forgotten: Mom, Dad, Brian, and René; Gammie; Mo and Unk For the Future: Brooke, Blaire, and Brian; Alison, Wesley, and Arthur –Tere Contents Acknowledgments Foreword Preface Sailing Dreams The Adventurer A Brief Time in Paradise A Captain’s Tale The Sea Waif A Warrior’s End The Dark of Night Eternal Father Recovering Terry Jo’s Truth The Mask of the Hero All the Women Are Strong Afterword Epilogue Bibliography Index ACKNOWLEDGMENTS by Tere Fassbender As I sit on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, I listen to the whitecaps tumbling and crashing on the beach. I scan the horizon and think about the captain and crew of the ship, Captain Theo. I want to thank them for saving me from the ocean. I thank Dr. Franklyn Verdon for being at my side when I awakened from a coma and for nursing me back to health. Jenny Duperrault, my grandmother, I thank you for being everything to me in those first years as my gentle and loving soul mate. Thank you Mo and Unk (Aunt Dot and Uncle Ralph Scheer) for taking me into your family and loving me as your daughter. Greg, Jeff, and Dan, I appreciate you for accepting me as a part of your family. As my journey through life continued, I’d like to thank the Brebner family and, especially, Pam for giving me friendship in those vulnerable years. I am so grateful to my Aunt Lois and Uncle Fritz Duperrault and cousins David, Cheri, Alan, and Jean who have always loved me and have shown interest in me throughout my life. I would like to thank my Nebraska family for all of their love and for allowing me to be who I am. Thank you Aunt Janet and Uncle Bob Scheer for our special times, and Victoria for always being my best friend. I don’t believe I would have made it the last thirty-five years without my children Brooke, Blaire, and Brian. The love I have for them is unexplainable and different from the love many parents feel for their children as they are truly all I have. And now that the next generation has arrived, I am so fortunate to be a part of the lives of my grandchildren Alison, Wesley, and Arthur. Thank you, my Ronald, for all of your love and support. You have been so good for me. You are my best friend, my safe harbor, my confidante. I appreciate Richard Logan for all of his time and effort in working with me and writing this book. Thank you, Dick, for helping me through difficult times. There are so many people and pets that have helped me along my rugged path. I give you a special thanks and I believe you know who you are. I am truly blessed and thankful for all who have come into my life and have helped me in some way. It is now my hope to help others by telling my story. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS by Richard Logan PhD The first person I need to thank is the subject of this story, co-author of this book, and – most important – subject of a remarkable life. With characteristic courage, Tere Duperrault Fassbender was determined that her story not only be told, but that it be told honestly, warts and all. I am deeply honored that my friend entrusted her story to me, but also grateful for the example of courage, honesty and decent humanity with which she has lived her life. Equally determined to see this remarkable story told was Tracy Ertl of TitleTown Publishing, Green Bay, Wisconsin. She shepherded, cajoled, encouraged, and capably coordinated every detail of the production of this book. All-in-all, Tracy was the gentlest of bulldozers. TitleTown’s Assistant Publisher Christine Ertl, who helped her mom multi-task, knows the truth of that image better than most. Profound thanks also go to the rest of Tracy’s magnificent team: TitleTown Publishing’s talented Editor Julie Rogers, who understood how to improve the writing without losing the authors’ voices, and how to gently make suggestions that enriched the story; Counsel Ellen Kozak, an accomplished, award- winning author in her own right, who was fierce in ensuring thoroughness and accuracy and stepped in to help with editing, thus significantly improving the book (It is great to see a publishing company